


Flight

by futureimperfect, Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)



Series: Circumstance [13]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Original Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-28
Updated: 2010-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-07 15:10:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect, https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lara steps away from her past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Continuity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/65124) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo). 
  * Inspired by [Haunted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/58863) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo). 
  * Inspired by [Probability](https://archiveofourown.org/works/58872) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo). 



> A/N: All characters were created by and belong to the authors. Please do not use without permission.
> 
> We would like to note that this fic, as it progresses, is in no way meant to represent an entirely realistic representation of the BDSM Scene. This is a fictionalized, somewhat Romanticized account, in which many of the intricate details are left between the lines. However, despite the poetic license, we hope the portrayal is thoughtful and enjoyable.

Lara drifted in and out of wakefulness, lightly cognizant of the already warm sunlight pouring through the window. Slowly her eyelids lifted, and she took in the lavish room around her. Lara didn't move just yet but glanced at the bedside clock, noting it already read near noon. She thought for a moment, realizing she had slept, uninterrupted, for almost 12 hours. For once she didn't' feel that familiar rising panic at her own consciousness, the obsessive need to get up and fill the day with tasks. It felt unsure, new but strangely exhilarating.

Slowly, Lara sat up. Donna was long gone, having probably slipped out in the night, but that didn't bother her. She knew she owed the older woman far more than she could realize in that moment, but it was a debt that was self-repaying. Lara stretched, body slowly uncurling, feeling all the strain of the prior night...prior years beginning to heal. There was a mental calm as well as the physical, and she smiled even as a few lingering tears traced her features. Lara looked through the window at the sky, dotted with light clouds, so vast and waiting. Yes...it was finally time.

She dressed and left. The corridors of the club were deserted in the morning hours, but her coat was waiting for her by the door. She shrugged it on and felt for the hotel key in the pocket. It was still there, but so was something else. Lara withdrew it and looked at her hand quizzically, then smiled. It was Donna's card, and she glanced over the name and numbers, noting the woman had written a second number in ink, likely her cell.

When she flipped it over, and a few words caught her eye, scrawled in Donna's neat handwriting:

_Sometimes we have the gift of remembering that life is too short,   
and the world too large. With endings come opportunities...reach for them.  
When you come back down, I'll be here waiting to hear about it.   
Good luck._

Within the hour, Lara was packed and walking into the airport, Donna's card still safely in her coat pocket. The real job she had been sent to do in New York she had accomplished in a day, and at that moment several rare pieces were carefully packaged and winging their way back to Paris where they would be installed in one of her employer's collections.

Her dark eyes looked up at large board spanning a wall of the terminal, listing the worldwide departures for the day. Lara smiled, each destination seemed filled with allure like she hadn't considered before, and knew that somewhere up there was the thing she was finally ready to find. Her expression was lit with interest, and the only location she pointedly dismissed was the flight back to Paris. Lara scanned the words, mind freely considering, plotting the cities on the map and linking them together. Each and every one of them might now be on her itinerary. From her view the threads of connection were endless, perfect, and she stepped up to the ticket counter smiling.


	2. View

Brett sat quietly a few yards away, lounging in the shade of a leaning palm. She had been there for the better part of the afternoon, blissfully not having anything more pressing to do than to watch the blue-green waves as they slowly worked their way higher with the rising tide. More interesting than the water, however, was the sleeping form it was steadily drawing closer to.

The woman was beautiful...no...captivating, she mentally corrected. Her smooth skin was tanned from the Mediterranean sun, and her features relaxed as she dozed on the sand. Brett smiled as the first waves brushed the woman's toes and watched with interest as they washed high enough to stealthily drag one of her abandoned sandals back with them. _Excellent_ she mused and rose, casually sauntering across the beach toward the now stirring woman.

The dark haired woman smiled and groaned pleasantly as the first trickles of water woke her. She stretched luxuriously and looked around. "Oh..." She started to get to her feet when she sleepily realized the strange item floating several feet out, in fact, belonged to her. Before she could stand however, something brushed past her, splashing into the warm water.

Brett took a quick few strokes and snatched the shoe back, easily standing in the waist-deep water, and waded back to shore. She smiled at the bewildered and slightly amused expression on the other woman's face, shaking her head to wick some of the water away. Her t-shirt and shorts clung to her frame as she approached and held out her hand, though not the one containing the nearly lost article.

"Brett," she said it nonchalantly, as if they had just been introduced at a cocktail party.

The other woman just smiled back, confused but beyond making sense of it, "Lara," she said simply, "And I believe I now owe you a drink."

Brett ducked under the Moorish arch, pulling back a beaded curtain for Lara. She had passed by the hotel she was staying in and esplanade, going down a small side street instead. The bar was only a short walk from the beach, but the North African sun had already dried her clothing. Feeble air conditioning kept the interior of the bar a reasonable temperature, and Brett was comfortable here. "Welcome to the best bar in Sousse."

Lara gave Brett a quiet, almost mischievous smile as she looked around. She had yet to discover much more than where the beach was since arriving in the city, vaguely aware that she had nearly circumnavigated the globe over the preceding five months. In truth, she still was amazed she had managed to make it out of the south pacific, having nearly been lulled into staying indefinitely by the beauty and quiet. However, the trade winds persisted, and after a few introspective nights due to good kava, she had reluctantly moved on. A few days earlier, Lara had nearly booked a ticked to Athens when a fellow traveler had suggested this stop first, promising amazing weather for the time of year, and more than a few interests for a roaming art buyer.

Her travels thus far had been solo ones, and for once she had found being alone with her thoughts didn't bother her so much. Brett's easy charm however, was more than she could ignore, and studied her new companion with interest as they took a seat at a corner table. "I'll take your word for it," her tone was playful, "and what's the best drink in the best bar in Sousse then?"

"Stick to the classics and you can't go wrong." Brett hooked her feet on the rungs of the unoccupied chair. She flagged down the bartender and placed her order. There were only a few other people in the bar and Brett let her eyes wander over each of them, taking in details, seeing whatever there was to see.

A few months prior, Lara might have obsessed over her drink, needing it to be perfect. Tonight however she just motioned that she would have whatever Brett was, and turned back to the other woman, realizing she knew next to nothing about her. "What brings you here? It's not a common stop for most." Lara had wanted to jump in and ask something more, but they were speaking in English, and while she was comfortable with it, her vocabulary was lacking.

Brett shrugged. "I got tired of the rain in London." That was really all motivation she needed to take a trip. "And I wanted to see the Medina." Her father had mentioned it once in passing and she had decided to check it out for herself. "May I ask the same of you?"

Lara smiled coyly, "that...is more of a third drink explanation." As if to demonstrate, the dark haired woman took a sip from her glass, "The short version though is that I was spending a few weeks in Dubai, trying to bargain a Sheik out of a particular Renoir for one of my best clients." She took another sip, rolling her eyes slightly, "In the end I think I barely dodged getting asked to be his fourth wife, but I made the deal. Anyway, I was in the airport trying to get a flight back to Europe when someone tipped me off about Sousse...and here I am." Lara swept her hand out, as if presenting the room, and took another sip. She paused then and set the drink down thoughtfully, fixing Brett with a playful gaze, "Does that answer your question?"

"It does." Brett sipped her own drink. "So, you're an art dealer?"

"Of sorts," Lara crossed her legs, smoothing the short sarong over her thighs quietly, "I have a few good clients who pay well for me to go on wild goose chases in hopes that whatever I find might finally fill voids in their collections." Or at times their lives, but Lara left that bit out. "I do well enough, but it also leaves me free to explore." Though, this was the first time she had been so bold, so interested in life to take advantage of it. "And yourself?"

"I... am an artist, actually." Brett smiled a self deprecating smile. "And I have a gallery back in London. Actually, what you do sounds a lot like what my father does, only with antiques."

She looked at the other woman with renewed interest, "It's a strange world, full of personalities." Dealing with them was one of her fortes. Lara could change her demeanor, chameleon-like, based on what she felt was needed in a professional setting. "You'll have to show me your work next time I'm in London." Lara realized quietly that she might be interested in more than the other woman's artwork, and smiled, thoughtfully wrapping her fingers around her second drink. She hadn't set out on this journey to meet anyone, but Brett, with her carefree manner and youthful smile, was turning out to be a very intriguing diversion. What was more, for the first time in years, she didn't want to control this other person, make her kneel and beg. She wanted....she wanted to just enjoy a night out and let things take their course.

Brett pulled out a thin wallet and found one of her cards, handing it to Lara. "Just drop by whenever. Someone will be there, even if I'm not." Brett wasn't a household name, not yet, but anyone well versed in the contemporary art world would know who she was. It wasn't something that she traded on though.

Lara took it and paused, the name was familiar, though she knew she hadn't visited the gallery before. She tucked it away, finishing her drink, the night had grown later while they talked, "Thank you. And I suppose I shouldn't keep you all night. You've already come to my rescue once today, I'm sure you have plans." Lara felt the comment was necessary, though she was reading more in Brett's demeanor, "that is, unless you'd care for a walk on the beach?" It was nearly a full moon, and the reflection off the sea was enticing.

"I think that a walk on the beach sounds like an excellent plan." Brett pulled some money out for the drinks and stood, offering Lara her hand. "It seems like I should have put my bathing suit on today after all."

Lara smiled, glad for the continued company. As they left she leaned a little closer, her tone dropping conspiratorially, "there are worse things to be without." She leaned back, walking with Brett toward the shore, "you know, I was supposed to be buying you a drink, seems I still owe you a debt."

"Oh, I'm sure that we can think of some other way that you might repay me." Brett pulled her sandals off once they got to the sand. She grabbed Lara's hand and tugged her down toward the water. "I think a swim sounds better than a walk."

Lara let out a surprised laugh and followed after Brett toward the waves, hopping to take off her shoes as she half walked half jogged over the sand. The surprising delight of simply being with someone new was getting to her, and she smiled in earnest.

Brett jumped through the waves, splashing water around herself, and once they got high enough, she dove in. She came up shaking her head and laughing.

Lara watched her, and slowly untied the sarong from her slender hips, dropping it in the sand. She stepped into the shallow waves, taking her time, moving closer and smiling at Brett. "Do you always jump in the ocean fully clothed?"

Brett stood up, her clothing once again plastered to her skin. "When the situation requires it." She started walking back toward Lara. It wasn't as if salt water could really hurt cotton, and she wasn't going to mention the time that she had pushed Hilda into a pool while they were both in evening gowns.

Lara watched her approach and felt her stomach quicken, the feeling was almost innocent and she blushed, though it wasn't too apparent in the moonlight. She decided she didn't feel like second-guessing that night, and quietly reached behind her back and unlaced her bikini top, letting it slide off. She held the bit of fabric out to Brett, smiling again, "will this be enough to pay my debt?"

"It might." Brett took the top and tucked it into her back pocket. "But we wouldn't want this to float away. Then I'd have to rescue it and you'd end up owing me again." She slid her hands along Lara's waist, leaving a trail of water.

Lara shivered, still smiling. She worked her toes into the soft sand under her feet, "I don't think I mind being in your debt." Had this been another time she might have grabbed for Brett, made a move before the other woman could. Now though she paused and waited, feeling the salt water wash over her skin, dripping from Brett's fingers.

"Mmm." Brett pressed herself against Lara, feeling the heat of her skin through her wet shirt. "Well, as long as you don't mind." She leaned forward and caught Lara's lips in a slow, lazy kiss.

Lara closed her eyes and moaned quietly. The moment was simple, and she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so peaceful, yet alive. Before Brett could pull away, Lara's fingers were reaching up her shirt, tracing her skin, pulling her closer.

Brett started unbuttoning her own shirt, encouraging Lara's touch. Once that was done, she pressed back against Lara, bringing her hands up to touch Lara's breasts and rub her nipples.

Lara released Brett's lips to arch into her firm touch, still feeling her warmth, trying to memorize the subtle curves, her strong but lithe frame. The water lapped at her ankles, and the rest of the world seemed to fade out, replaced by the sound of her own heartbeat and the woman in front of her.

Lara moaned and bent her knees, pulling Brett down with her till they were lying in the shallow water. She smiled and kissed her again as the brunette moved to cover her, sliding their bodies together.

Getting covered in sand hadn't exactly been Brett's intent, but she went with it. That's what showers were for, after all. She firmly slid her hand down Lara's stomach to the edge of her bikini bottoms and pushed under them, feeling how hot and wet Lara was as she moved her fingers between her lips.

"Yes....oh..." Lara squirmed shamelessly, pressing into Brett, encouraging her. She had forgotten how incredibly wonderful it could feel to just be taken, in the simplest ways. She leaned up and kissed the other woman's neck, whispering, "please...don't stop." Stars were now pricking the black sky above them, and she let out a shuddering breath against Brett's skin.

Brett smirked as she pushed her fingers inside Lara. "I have no intention of stopping. Not for a long, long time." She was already imagining dragging Lara into her hotel room and pushing her into a hot shower, then taking her to bed.

At that, Lara let out a long moan, and wrapped her legs through Brett's further tangling their bodies together as she pushed closer. She was still panting, squirming under the other woman.

"That's it," Brett murmured against Lara's neck, kissing the skin under her ear, nipping at it. "That's perfect." She rubbed her thumb against Lara's clit. "You know," she bit Lara's earlobe lightly, "the sooner you come, the sooner we can go back to my hotel room."

Lara didn't need the encouragment, already being close to the edge, but it certainly didn't hurt. She rocked quickly against Brett's fingers, frantically biting at her neck to keep from calling out too loudly as she shook, the stars growing brighter above her for a long moment.

"God, you're sexy." Brett kissed Lara's chest, then lifted herself off of her to her knees and then to her feet. She only bothered to rebutton two of her buttons before she handed Lara's top back to her. "I think we should go inside before someone comes to investigate the noise."

Lara was still panting, resting back on her elbows at Brett's feet near the edge of the waves. She smiled and nodded, fumbling with the garment before getting up properly. She laughed to herself, what she had just been so bold as to do finally settling on her. In the past, nothing would have worried her...getting caught, hurt, nothing. But now, she scrambled up, glancing around and blushing, feeling like a teenager again. What surprised her more was how quickly she moved to take Brett's hand, and let the other woman lead her off down the beach.

Brett pulled Lara through the hotel lobby and into the elevator, pulling her close and kissing her once the doors were closed. It was a short ride, but she was going to make the most of it. "Oh..." Lara was caught offguard, having been glancing around the hotel, and before she could react, Brett had her flat against the wall of the elevator, kissing her thoroughly. They kept kissing until the elevator bell dinged for her floor. Then Brett grabbed Lara's hand again and pulled her down the hallway. Her wallet was soaking wet when she went to pull her keycard out, but it would dry, as would everything inside it. She pushed the door open and motioned Lara in.

Inside now, Lara was smiling still, feeling giddy. She had only just realized she had abandoned her sarong out by the water, but didn't much care. She closed the short distance between them, leaning down slightly kiss, then lick the exposed skin at the base of Brett's neck, tasting the sea salt that now covered them both. Lara smirked, "I think a shower might be in order."

"I think you're right." Brett started untying Lara's top, drawing it off of her. "You're full of good ideas tonight." She guided them back toward the bathroom. Lara smiled and hooked her fingers under the waist of her bottoms, pushing them down and off as she let Brett press her into the other room, "I do my best."

Brett reached around Lara and turned the shower on, giving it a minute to get warm before pushing her back into it. Once Lara was in, Brett followed her, still completely clothed. Lara moaned and kissed the other woman, lacing her fingers behind the brunette's neck to hold her close. The water ran over them both, wetting Lara's long dark hair, laying it flat against her naked back. She felt the sand and salt run off of her, skin warming, aching to be touched again.

Brett unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall in a wet pile on the floor of the shower, happy to finally be free of it. She ran her hands trough Lara's hair, then wrapped her arms around Lara's waist, pressing their hips together. She was glad that she had decided not to wear anything under her shorts that day and she wondered how long Lara would let her keep them on. She pulled away long enough to grab some shampoo and start working it into Lara's hair.

"Mmmmnnn..." Lara relaxed into the touch, turning around to give Brett better access. She closed her eyes, pressing into the spray from the shower, and reached both her hands behind, blindly feeling for the ties on the other woman's shorts.

Brett tilted her hips into Lara's hands, making it easier for her to find the fastenings on her shorts. She started rinsing the shampoo from Lara's hair, making sure that all of the sand was gone. Once that was accomplished, she started to run her hands over Lara's skin, finding a set of thin, parallel scars halfway down her back. She pulled her hands away in shock. She'd seen scars like that before. Though her mother had tried to hide them from her, she knew what they were from. She tentatively ran her fingers over them. "Where'd you get these?"

Lara had made quick work of the other woman's shorts as her hair was rinsed clean. She was idly running her hands over Brett's thighs when she felt her stiffen. Lara hadn't thought to hide the marks, they had faded considerably over time. Her answer was almost immediate, but painfully truthful. "I....I put them there." Though she hadn't been holding the whip at the time, Elise most definitely hadn't been acting of her own free will. Lara turned, searching Brett's startled expression, hoping it wasn't too much. "But..." she sighed, working the words together in her head, "I think that's over for me now." At least anything that severe, that real.

Brett's demeanor had turned surprisingly serious. "Those aren't the sorts of scars you can give yourself. Someone else did that to you." Brett had never seriously gotten into the Scene, but she knew that parents were, and while her mother had never told her just how she had ended up with a back covered in white lines, her father had, and what he hadn't told her, she had asked Therese about. Therese would tell her anything, particularly if she thought she needed to hear it.

Lara was slightly taken aback at Brett's immediate reaction, her understanding. She looked down, wishing she hadn't turned her back, didn't have to talk about the still recent past. Still, she needed to say the words to believe them herself. So very much had changed in one night, and these small moments of realization kept asserting themselves. "No, you're right. But I asked for them to be sure." Lara wanted to reach for Brett, to be closer again, but she waited to see how the brunette would react, "I was out of control at the time, but I have since let it go. I'm trying to learn from the world now, from beauty, instead of from discomfort and pain." And she was learning it was much more effective, though she hadn't been ready to admit that just months ago.

Brett nodded. "Okay." She took a deep breath and tried to push everything but the moment away. She was well practiced at it. She wrapped her arms back around Lara, pressing their bodies together and enjoying the feeling of skin next to hers. She leaned in for a kiss, hoping that Lara would reciprocate.

Lara didn't realize she was holding her breath until Brett held her again, and she finally let it out. She smiled and gratefully kissed the brunette, pausing to switch their positions so she could rinse off. Lara relaxed again, and started kissing over the other woman's skin, working down her neck. A few small thoughts worked through her mind as she brushed her lips lower, of whether any of her later companions still bore marks she had left, of where Elise had drifted off to, if she was happy wherever that might be. For her part, Brett had relaxed and was content with the simplicity of touching someone else, of being touched. She shivered under Lara's lips and rubbed her hands up Lara's back.

Lara dismissed the thoughts, focusing instead on the moment. She calmly shifted Brett so she was leaning against the shower wall, and then eased down to her knees in front of her, laying kisses as she went.

Brett moaned and pushed her fingers into Lara's hair. The water was hitting Lara's back, running down it, and as she watched, Brett's breath caught. She arched forward encouragingly. "Don't tease."

Lara looked up, her smile returning in earnest, "If you ask nicely." She wasn't about to deny Brett anything, however, and was already slipping her fingers between the woman's legs, watching her reaction.

Brett pushed down onto Lara's fingers and moaned loudly. "God. Please." If Lara wanted her to ask, she could do that. She'd been looking forward to this all afternoon.

"Alright then." Lara nipped at Brett's thigh lightly, then dipped her head between the brunette's legs, keeping her fingers working inside her while she started to lick. The water was still running over them both, steam starting to cloud the already warm air.

"Guh..." Brett gripped Lara's hair tighter, trying to find her balance. She took deep breaths of the humid air and relaxed into Lara's touch. It didn't take long for Lara to push her over the edge, and she shuddered as she came.

Lara moaned when she felt Brett come, slowing her touches as the other woman started to relax. She placed her fingers lightly around Brett's hips, steadying herself as she stood, leaning into the brunette and kissing her again. "I think maybe we're clean enough now." She smiled and brushed back the hair from the other woman's forehead.

"Yeah." Brett smiled at her and turned the water off. "Let me get you a towel." She got out of the shower and handed one of the towels to Lara, wrapping the other around herself.

"Thanks" Lara dried off, then draped the towel lightly around her shoulders, continuing to squeeze the remaining water out of her hair as she walked back in to the bedroom, otherwise naked. She slipped onto the bed, running her hands through her hair, watching Brett walk across the room.

Brett joined her a second later, her short already drying and curling. She crawled across the bed, kissing Lara's skin as she passed over it, then straddling her thighs. "You are very welcome."

Lara smiled up at her, trailing her hands up Brett's skin, lingering on her nipples. "Mmmnnn... How long are you going to be in town?"

"I'm here through the week." Brett leaned into Lara's hands. "And then..." She just smiled and shook her head.

Lara nodded and continued to enjoy the other woman's skin under her fingers. She choose not to dwell, she wasn't really ready for much more that this, an amazing night. Really, even this was a more than pleasant surprise. "Well then, time is of the essence."

"Here, here." Brett quickly raised her eyebrows, then leaned down to kiss Lara. She covered Lara's breasts with her hands, squeezing her nipples and rolling them between her fingers.

Lara leaned into the kiss, shifting against Brett's touch, "Well then, let's make the most of it then." She stretched her arms up shamelessly, twisting her fingers in the pillowcase, smiling.

Brett smirked down at Lara's prone form and leaned down, sucking on one of Lara's nipples. Without warning, she pushed her fingers into Lara and pressed her thumb against Lara's clit.

"Oh.....God..." Lara squirmed. It just felt so...good to just feel. She kept her hands where they were, but was surprised to find she had little resolve, control easily slipping. She laughed and pressed into Brett indulgently.

Brett kept smirking at Lara. There were a couple of things that she was really good at, and sex was one of them. Brett kissed down Lara's stomach, bit her hip and then worked inward. She started licking her, still pushing her fingers into her.

Her delighted laugh turned into a light yelp when Brett's teeth glanced over her skin, already hypersensitive from anticipation. Brett wasn't overestimating herself in this case, and Lara pressed her hips up gently. "Oh...please..." She closed her eyes, panting with arousal.

Brett kept licking her, kept pumping her fingers into Lara. She wrapped her free arm around Lara's thigh, keeping her still.

Lara moaned at the firmer touch, it was still instinctual for her. She finally lost the small amount of control she was trying to cling onto and moved her hands to tangle in Brett's thick hair, calling her name as she came, stomach clenching with the force of her reaction.

Brett kissed the inside of Lara's thigh before sliding back up her body. "Mmm..." She kissed Lara deeply, straddling her thigh and pressing down against it. "You are... mmm."

Laura whimpered contentedly, tasting herself on Brett's lips, letting the other woman slip her tongue into her mouth, and sucked it gently before releasing her. She moaned again, a smile slowly returning, "ohh...likewise."

Brett kept pressing herself against Lara's thigh, reveling in the contact. "Yeah."

"Yes...God....I'm glad I made an extra stop on my way back." Lara was still panting, heartbeat slowing gradually. She grinned up at the brunette, watching as she moved quietly against her skin. Lara was finding she loved seeing the other woman's charming, almost mischievous expressions almost as much as she was enjoying giving in to her without worrying about the next move.

"So am I," Brett's breathing was picking up, as was the pace of her movements. She leaned down and started kissing across Lara's collar bones.

"Mmmm..." Lara leaned back, her eyes closed as she ran her fingers through Brett's still damp hair. She began to squirm under her, movement increasing in pace as well.

Brett shivered and pressed down harder, getting closer and closer to her release. She wrapped her arms around Lara. Lara's hands in her hair were sending little sparked down her spine, and with a few more thrusts, she shuddered and went limp in Lara's arms.

Lara felt herself almost come again as Brett moved against her, and moaned, licking and nipping at the other woman's skin. When Brett finally relaxed, her body draped casually over hers, Lara sighed and brushed her hands contentedly over the other woman's back. She didn't want the moment to end, and didn't shift, didn't speak.

Lara could hear the waves still washing lazily over the shore, and her eyes just picked out the moon's reflection in the sea from outside the 5th floor balcony. In her travels she had come to find that life was at a basic level a series of discrete moments, strung together haphazardly by time and intent. This night was simply one to file away in her mind, to revel in, and she traced her finger over Brett's cheek, creating a vivid memory.


	3. Live

Brett stretched lazily as sunlight started to creep across her eyes. Her leg was draped over Lara's hip, and she rolled toward her, wrapping her arms around the other woman. She kissed the side of Lara's neck, nuzzling under her ear as she slowly opened her eyes.

Lara was pulled back in to wakefulness by Brett's soft touch. She waited indulgently for a moment before opening her eyes and turning to the other woman, "Morning," she muttered, sleep still in her voice.

"Mmmhmm," It really was too early to try to talk, but she managed it anyway. "If you're really looking for something beautiful, you should go watch the rest of the sunrise." She nodded toward the balcony, but she didn't move.

Lara laughed quietly, noting how firmly she was currently pinned under the other woman. "I decided long ago that if I was meant to see the sunrise, it would have been made later in the day." She stretched a little, but glanced at the reddening sky through the window. Brett nuzzled her again. "It's better after a sandstorm anyway." She kissed her way down Lara's neck to her shoulder.

Thoughts of moving to see the sky better faded quickly with Brett's slow but sure actions, and Lara shifted encouragingly, sliding her hands down the brunette's sides, "I'll just wait until one happens then."

"Good plan." Brett shivered and slowly started rubbing Lara's stomach, avoiding anything more intentional.

Lara was fully awake now, and felt a pleasant ache start to grow at Brett's touch, combined with her memories of the prior night, "Do you have any big plans for the day?" Brett's lingering would speak otherwise, but Lara was curious what the brunette might do to keep herself occupied...aside from rescuing stranger's items from the sea of course.

"Nothing concrete." Brett kissed the front of Lara's shoulder. "I have a sketchbook with some blank pages that I want to fill." Those were pretty much her plans every day: bumming around town, laying on the beach, drawing and drinking.

Lara ran her fingers through the back of Brett's hair, smirking lightly up at her, "and may I ask what you were planning on filling those pages with?"

Brett smirked. "You, if you're game." Brett slid on top of Lara. "Or something else, if you're not." She wanted to draw Lara, but she didn't want her to feel any pressure to say yes.

Lara blushed. "I'd be flattered." The statement was genuine, and she pulled Brett down and kissed her.

"Oh good." Brett ran her hands down Lara's chest and over her stomach.

Lara arched into her touch, smiling and laughing quietly. "How do you want me then?" Her dark eyes flashed with mischief, and she couldn't remember the last time she felt so relaxed with someone. Not even Myra had made her feel so light, free. But then, that was a different time.

"Just like you are." Brett slid off of the bed and walked over to the table, grabbing her sketchbook and a set of pencils. She curled up in an armchair and started looking at Lara intently, trying to decide where to start. Lara watched her go with amusement and did as she was told, remaining draped over the pillows. She could almost sense Brett's gaze, and it caused a shiver to run through her pleasantly.

Brett bit her lip as she started drawling, focusing on the curve of Lara's shoulder that she had just been kissing. "So..." Brett's eyes twinkled, "whips and chains?"

Lara blushed even deeper, but kept still, eyes following Brett's hand as she drew. "Yes. For quite some time." She took a breath, somehow it was easier to be nonchalant about it while so occupied. Moreover, Brett seemed to know something about the topic, and it made Lara interested, "anything you're curious about?"

Brett shrugged. She liked to talk to her models and it was the first thing she had latched onto. "What do you like about it?"

Now that was a loaded question for Lara. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again, trying to remember why she had sought out that world in the first place. "I...I think I was just looking for an escape at first." She paused for a moment, knowing Brett probably thought she had just been looking for some play. She slowly shook her head, trying not to move too much, "But I'm not sure the word 'like' really comes to mind now, though I was good at it. Too good in fact, and in trying to find control, I lost it."

Mmm." Brett hadn't expected such a detailed answer, but she supposed that she should have been prepared. It was certainly shorter than what Hilda would have told her if she had ever bothered to ask. Of course Hilda would probably have written her a dissertation on it, complete with footnotes. "That makes sense. I've never quite grasped the appeal, personally." She thought maybe it was because it was too close, to familiar to have any sort of forbidden edge.

"At times I wish I hadn't, I suppose, but I thought I needed it." It was refreshing to be with someone so seemingly removed from that world, those urges. Having been enthralled to it so long, Lara found she had nearly forgotten that it wasn't average entertainment. "Never tried it then?" She couldn't stop her curiosity.

Brett couldn't stop herself from laughing. There was no way that Lara could know that her parents, her Godmother, and her best friend were all heavily involved in the Scene but that didn't quell her laughter. "God, sorry. No, I've tried it, to a point, but..." She shrugged. "It's all a little too close to home, I think. I walked in on my parents once. They had a lovely looking young man tied to the chest at the foot of their bed. Never again did I ask what was in that chest."

Laura laughed, and her blush deepened, imagining the horror that must have crossed Brett's young face. "I don't blame you at all. At least it sounds like they were having fun though....I...I'm not entirely sure some of my last companions came off of the experience too well." Lara went a little quieter, considering her admission. "Then again, it took someone amazingly strong to convince me I was done with it, and I think I'll always owe her something."

Brett nodded as she added a last line to the sketch of Lara, then put her pencil down. "Do you want to see?" She held out the sketchbook.

Laura smiled brightly and slipped off the bed, "Of course." Brett smiled up at her, the sketch between her fingers.

Lara crossed the room and leaned over to look. She smiled and kissed Brett's neck. "It's beautiful..." It was such a strange view, to see herself through someone else's eyes, and Lara blushed. "You're quite generous in your interpretation."

Brett signed it, sprayed it with a fixer, and ripped it from the sketch book. "Keep it." She was certain that there would be others she could take back to London with her.

Lara took the paper from Brett, still considering it and smiling. Despite her own vanity, she could tell the brunette was very talented. "Thank you." She marveled at how simply happy the woman in the image appeared, "Really...thank you."

Brett shrugged. "You're welcome." She knew that she had a bad habit of giving things away, but it was done, and Lara clearly appreciated a sketch that probably would have gotten tucked in the back of a filing cabinet otherwise.

Lara looked up as she heard a vaguely familiar sound. After a few moments she realized it was her phone ringing. It had been weeks since someone had last called her, and she rummaged around in the small bag she had taken to carrying while she traveled. She caught it in time and flipped it open, answering. Lara took up pacing as she spoke, her demeanor shifting, "Bonjour Monsieur. Oui...oui je comprends.......Demain ? Oui vous avez probablement raison..... Naturellement....Oui.... Au revoir." She closed the phone and turned back to Brett, knowing her disappointment would be easily discernible from her expression.

That's the end of our week, isn't it?" Brett sighed slightly, a rueful smile on her face. But she wasn't overly disappointed. She had known that the week wouldn't last forever.

Lara returned the expression, "Yes I'm afraid so. My best client just got wind of some Japanese woodblock prints from the Meiji period that have gone on sale for the first time in some ungodly amount of years. He's particularly enamored of one of a jade axe." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Or was it and Ox....yes that makes more sense. In any matter, I'm due in Tokyo in twelve hours."

"Then you'll be needing to get to the airport." Brett got up and started looking around for Lara's bikini where she could get back to her own room.

Lara caught her as she crossed in front of her, pulling her in for a breathless kiss, "Thank you for the time." She smiled.

"There is absolutely no need for you to thank me for that. It was my pleasure." Brett kissed her again before handing Lara her bikini bottoms.

The next morning, Lara opened her eyes to a view of Mt Fuji cresting above the clouds. She smiled at the stunning view from 30,000 ft as the plane began it's decent. The previous 24 hours felt like a waking dream, but she knew the proof that it had really happened was resting safely, tucked away in her carry-on.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Appearances](https://archiveofourown.org/works/68349) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo)
  * [Awakening](https://archiveofourown.org/works/71547) by [futureimperfect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/futureimperfect/pseuds/futureimperfect), [Miri Cleo (miri_cleo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miri_cleo/pseuds/Miri%20Cleo)




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